Queen's Indian Defense: Yates Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
41,210 games: White 48.4% / Draw 8.9% / Black 42.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 36,57737K | ||
| 2,7002,700 | ||
| 1,1041,104 | ||
| 591591 | ||
| 9393 | ||
| 3333 | ||
| 3131 | ||
| 1919 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.35 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. O-O O-O 8. Bg5 Be7 9. h4 h6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Nc3 d6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense: Yates Variation (ECO E16, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Bogo-Indian Defense: Wade-Smyslov Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 a5 5. g3 b6 6. Bg2 Bb7 (6 moves).
In 41,210 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.4%, Black 42.8% and 8.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. O-O, in 89% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Queen's Indian Defense: Yates Variation
The most played answer, 7. O-O, also scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 48.7% and Black 42.2% of 37K games. Of the main answers, 7. a3 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. O-O.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Yates Variation (E16)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-yates-variation